Bell ringer



Sept. 15, 1931. E, V, CROSS 1,823,820

BELL RINGER Filed July 9, 1929 ZZvaod 7 wir Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES ELLWoozD v. cnoss, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA BELL RINGER Application led July 9, 1929. Serial No. 376,993.

This invention relates to improvements in bell ringers forloeomotives, and has as its primary object the dependable ypower ringing of a bell, and' as a secondary object the denite and accurate regulation of the speed or rate of such ringing.

With these and further objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in part be stated, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations,

and arrangements of parts as subsequently specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a View in front elevation of a fragment of a locomotive having applied thereto an embodiment of the present invention, parts being broken away and seen in section;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical section through the power cylinder, parts being seen in elevation, and the parts being seen on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3- is a sectional elevation ofthe trip valve for controlling the steam supply to the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates the usual locomotive bell mounted in any well known manner, as, for example, on a supporting bracket 2 liXed to the head of the locomotive boiler. A hammer 3 is carried by an actuating lever 4, pivoted at 5, in position for having the hammer appropriately strike the bell 1 when the lever 4 is swung on the pivot 5 with :the required oscillations. A cylinder 6 is liXed by anv appropriate bracket 7 to the head of the locomotive boiler adjacent the lever 4, and is provided with a piston rod 8 having ,a pin and slot connection 9 with the lever 4 for actuating the latter. The piston rod 8 penetrates one end of cylinder 6, and the opposite end is penetrated by the steam lineV 10 leading from the dome or other source of supply through the usual cab-located control valve,

not illustrated. Within'the cylinder 6 piston rod 8 is provided with an appropriate head 11 having the usual piston packing and engaged at its face remote from the intake from line 10 by a return spring 12. Spring l2 is disposed between the piston head 11 and the more rapid will be the strokes, and, `con- I y versely, the lower vthe capacity or more sluggish the spring 12, the slower will be the strokes, it being intended to substitute aditferent spring 12 whenever the rate of stroke is to be changed. However, an appropriate varying of tension of spring l2 may be de- I pended upon for varying the rate of'stroke, as, for` example, when the head of the cylinder is threaded in place, as illustrated in Figure 2, the greater'or'less extent lof the threading on of the head, the greater or less extent `the tensioning of the spring. Obvious'ly, the substitution of dilferent springs is preferred as a more dependable means of cylinder 6, a cushioning spring 13'is located to prevent excessive return movement of piston 11.

An exhaust port or ports 14 is or are formed control. AAt theintake end portion of the u through the side of cylinder 6, and the piston- Y n rod-penetrated head of the cylinder is provided with an air equalizer port 15 for allowing f ree play of pistonll without air coin- Vpression or formation of vacuum. Also, the vhead of cylinder 6. having the port 15, is

preferably substantially thickened, and may be thickened relatively to a Vgreater extent than indicated in the drawings to avoid wear incident to sliding contacty of piston rod 8.

Of course, leakagethrough the cylinder head l about the piston rod 8 does not represent a disadvantage, but may supplement the functioning of port 15. However, excessive wear is to be avoidedto maintainthe parts in proper alinement. f

intake control valve 16 is arranged inV the length of pipe 10 and'located to cooperate with theother parts. The valve v16 is provided with yan operating stem 17 and an appropriate head V18, the latter cooperating withV a valve seat 19. Valve seat 19 is of considerably larger gaugethan the gauge of pipe 10. A For'example, if the pipe 10 be of saythree-eights inch size, the valve 16 should an inch and a quarter valve, and the pipe connections `for pipe 10 should be hushed sie down and up to the pipe so that a very quick or brief opening of the valve head 18 from its seat 19 will admit a requisite charge of steam to effect the results desired while a comparatively small pipe 10 is employed. A bracket 20 is preferably carried by the housing of valve 16. and a lever 21 is pivoted to the bracket and arranged to pivotally engage the stem 17. rEhe free end portion ofl lever 21, as seen in Figure 1, is engaged by a push rod 22, and a stop 23 carried byV said push rod. The push rod preferably extends through an appropriate opening in the end portion of lever 21, so that the stop 23 will be sure to move the lever 21 from the dotted line position to the full line position of Figure 1 under the impulses of the rod 22. The rod 22 is pivoted at 24 to lever 4, and maybe Y sustained by any additional guiding means in Figure 1.

desired, but not illustrated. Thus, upon the return stroke of the lever 4, the lever 21 will be swung from the dotted line position of Figure 1 to the full line position thereof, whereupon the valvev head 18 will be moved from its seat 19 by the return stroke of the lever 4. f

In operation, the locomotive Aengineer merely turns on the steam pressure tothe pipe 10 to ring the bell 1, and the ringing will continue until the engineer cuts o the supply of steam. The parts normally stand at rest, as seen in Figure 2, and in full lines The first impulse of steam, therefore, passes freely into cylinder 6 and drives the piston 11 back to the bell ringing position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. When the piston reaches this position, the ports 14 will be exposed, and the eX- hausted steam will allow a return thrust of the piston under the impulse of the then compressed spring 12. However, meanwhile, as the piston 11 moved to the bell ringing position underthe steam pressure, that very movement causes the rod 22 to move to the releasing position of lever 21, so that the valve head 18 could seat itself under the action of the return spring 178 Thus, the

valve head 18 was seated on the seat 19 before Y the actual time of stroke of the hammer 13 against bell 1; and the exhausting of the eX- panding steam through ports 14 left the cylinder 6 in condition 'for the free return stroke of piston 11. The return stroke will progress as far as permitted incident to the fact that during such return stroke the lever 21 will be swung by the action of the rod 22, and anew impulse of steam admitted. lrIhus, the vpiston head 11 and rod 8 and connected parts are reciprocated continuously until the supply of pressure is cut off from pipe 10.

What isclaimed is Y 1. In bell ringing'apparatus for locomotives. the combination of a pivotally mounted hammer, a piston rod pivotally engaging the hammer for actuating the same,

Lnaaaezo a cylinder into which said piston rod eX- tends, a piston head within the cylinder a spring for effecting return stroke of the piston, retracting the hammer from its bell ringing position, means for delivering fluid under pressure to the cylinder for imparting the out stroke to the piston to cause the hammer to strike the bell,y a valve connected to be unseated by parts moved by the piston for delivering intake of fluid under pressure to said cylinder when the hammer is moving to retracted position, and means connected to the hammer for unseating the valve as the hammer is being retracted, the cylinder being provided with an exhaust port located relative to the range of travel of the piston for exhausting substantially at the terminus of the outer stroke, before the hammer strikes. the bell, and the yvalve actuating means being proportioned so that the steam supply valve will be seated'prior to attainment by the piston of the position to exhaust.

2. In bell ringing apparatus for locomotives including a bell and bell ringing means, the combination of a cylinder having an exhaust port-,means for delivering fluid under pressure to the cylinder, means in the cylinder adapted to be actuated by'such fluid under pressure for ringing the bell by the bell ringingmeans, and means actuated by the bell ringing means for controlling the delivery of fluid under pressure to the cylinder. y

3. In bellringing apparatus for locomotives including a bell and bell ringing means, the combination of a cylinder having an exhaust port, vmeans for delivering fluid under pressure to the cylinder, means in the cylinder adapted to be actuated by such fluid under pressure for ringing the bell by the bell ringing means, and means actuated by the bell ringing Ymeans for controlling the delivery of fiuid under pressure to the cylinder, said control means including a valve of substantially larger capacity than the cross sectional capacity of the fluid supply means.

l V4. In bell ringing apparatus for locomotives including a bell and bell ringing means, the combination of a cylinder having an eX- haust port, means for delivering fluid under pressure to the cylinder, means in the eylinder adapted to'be Vactuated by such fluid under pressure forv ringing the bell by the bell ringing means,.and means actuated by the bell ringing means for controlling the delivery of fluid under. pressure to the cylinder, said control means includingl a valve of substantially larger capacity than the cross sectional capacity ofthe fluid supply means,

:and the valve actuating means being pro- ,portioned and located to. effect seating of the valve for Van appreciable period prior to the parts, reaching a condition for exhausting the fluid under pressure through said exhaust port.

5. In bell ringing apparatus for locomotives, the combination of a pivotally mount-r ed hammer, a piston rod pivotally engaging the hammer for actuating the same, a cylinder into which said piston rod extends, a piston head Within the cylinder, a spring for effecting return stroke of the piston, a conduit for delivering fluid under pressure t0 the cylinder for imparting the out stroke t0 the piston, and a valve in said conduit connected to be unseated by parts moved by the piston for delivering intake of fluidunder pressure to said cylinder, the cylinder being provided with an exhaust port located relative to the range of travel of the piston for exhausting substantially at the terminus of the outer stroke7 and the valve actuating means being proportioned to seat the valve prior to attainment by the piston of the position to exhaust, and means for cushioning the return stroke of the piston.

- 6. In bell ringing apparatus for locomotives, the combination of a pivotally mounted hammer, a piston rod vpivotally engaging the hammer for actuating the same, a cylinder into Which said piston rod extends, a piston head Within the cylinder, a spring for effecting return stroke of the piston, a conduit for delivering Huid under pressure to the cylinder for imparting the out stroke i to the piston, a valve in said conduit connected to be unseated by parts moved by the piston for delivering intake of fluid under pressure to said cylinder, the cylinder being provided with anV exhaust port located relative to the range of travel of the piston for exhausting substantially at the terminus of the outer stroke, and the valve actuating means being proportioned to seat the valve prior to attainment by the piston of the position to exhaust, the piston-return spring being proportioned to return the piston sufficiently for fully opening the valve.

7. In bell ringing'apparatus for locomotives including bell ringing means, the combination of a cylinder having an exhaust port, means for delivering fluid under pressure to the cylinder, adapted to be actuated by such fluid under pressure for operating the bell ringing mea-ns, a valve controlling the intake of fluid under pressure to said cylinder, a trip lever for actuating said valve, a link connected to and actuated by the bell ringingV means for imparting tripping movement to said lever for opening the valve and adapted to allow seating of the valve prior to a position of the parts permitting exhaust through said exhaust port,and means for eecting a return movement of the parts after closing of said valve and exhausting of said fluid.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ELLWOOD V. CROSS.

means in the cylinder 

